Merlin Suddenly Knows
by HPFangirl71
Summary: Merlin finally realizes just how deep his feelings for Arthur go... only to find out Arthur has had a discovery of his own as well. Slash... Do Not Flame!


**Merlin Suddenly Knows… by HPFangirl71**

Merlin had never paid much attention at how close his friendship with Arthur had become, well he never noticed until _that_ day…

Merlin was hurrying through the castle halls, rushing to meet Arthur when he returned from his outing with Uther. Finishing his chores for Gaius had taken extra time this morning and he knew he'd arrive late which Arthur would be sure to point out. He was a constant failure as a manservant, so much in fact, that he was surprised the prince bothered to keep him about. Uther and Arthur had been gone for three days and Merlin found himself smiling at the thought of seeing him once again, certain he'd have a list of chores a mile long for him to perform. He grimaced briefly at that thought but still reveled in his longing to see his good friend once again.

He burst through the door without a single thought to Arthur's privacy and was shocked at the sight that greeted him. Arthur and Gwen were holding one another in a tight embrace and their lips were meeting in a kiss. Merlin was embarrassed for the intrusion and quickly exited the room. Pressing his back flat against the stone wall, he was faced with the sudden heat that rose within his gut. It wasn't just the warmth of temporary mortification at having caught the couple in a private moment. It was something more and that something was a fearful thing for him to examine.

For at that moment that he'd seen the two entwined in a lover's pose, an ugly thing had risen within him. That ugly hateful thing was jealousy and much as he wished to feign an infatuation for his dear friend Gwen, it just wasn't the case. No Merlin had found himself angry with Gwen of all people, angry with her for kissing Arthur… _His_ Arthur. How could she do such a thing, he found himself wondering. His breath came in short pants as he tried hard to calm himself, not wanting to lose control of his magic. He didn't want to hurt anyone but he also found himself suddenly possessive of the man he'd only thus thought of as a dear friend. It was now completely obvious to him that he was in love with Arthur…

He took another fortifying gulp as he heard the door opening and Gwen slipped out. She gave Merlin a look of uneasy embarrassment and without speaking; she tilted her head in reference to him. He pulled himself together and quickly entered Arthur's private domain. Arthur was looking out the window, his head pressed hard against the pane of glass. He didn't turn when Merlin entered the room.

"I'm sorry… I didn't realize…" Merlin's words faltered slightly as he tried to apologize without giving his feelings away.

Oh, for God's sake… he _was_ in love with Arthur! How could he not have realized this? It was suddenly so obvious; why they were so close, why he willingly risked his life for the prince without batting an eyelash, why he suddenly felt sick to his stomach with regret and jealous rage…

The look on Arthur's face was hard to read and Merlin was scared he might be angry with him. He crossed over to stand a few feet away from where Arthur still sat staring outside.

"Arthur I'm sorry… I didn't mean… I should've knocked first…"

Merlin's words came out a bumbling mess and he could feel the blush heating up his face as he tried to explain himself to the prince.

"It's alright Merlin, Gwen and I were just saying goodbye," Arthur said, his voice a calm whisper as he turned from the window and motioned Merlin forward.

Merlin began shuffling toward the prince when he suddenly tripped and fell forward. As his body lurched precariously, Merlin saw from the corner of his eye, Arthur reaching out to catch him. Instead, the prince only caught his arm in an ineffectual way that had them both sprawling onto the floor. Their bodies were a tangled mess and Merlin could feel the heat of Arthur pressed tightly against him, pinning him to the floor. As they got their legs untangled, Arthur was still spluttering at Merlin's clumsiness. Merlin's face heated over with embarrassment and his groin heated up with something more that made him blush a brighter shade of red…

Arthur's hands were pressed against Merlin's chest as he tried pulling himself up and that's when he felt Merlin's hardness pressing up against his stomach and he was quick to disengage from his servant.

"Really Merlin! How hard is it to walk in a straight line?" he bellowed gruffly in an attempt to hide his own sudden discomfort at the close proximity between himself and Merlin.

"Again, I'm sorry!" Merlin mumbled as he tried unsuccessfully to rise.

Arthur pulled himself up and finally offered a hand to the dark haired man who was still floundering upon the floor. Merlin turned his gaze from the man as he allowed himself to be pulled upward. In an effort to take the focus off his awkwardness, he quickly returned to the topic they'd previously been discussing.

"Why were you and Gwen saying goodbye? I mean, you just arrived home. Surely you aren't leaving again so soon, are you?"

"No Merlin, I'm not leaving again. Gwen and I were saying goodbye as a couple. I told her I couldn't in good conscience; allow things to continue as they were between us." Arthur said in a quiet matter of fact voice.

"Arthur I don't understand… I thought things were good between you and Gwen, that you wanted to make her your queen someday. Why would you break things off now?"

Merlin waited with baited breath for the Prince's answer. He was shocked to hear him say he'd broken things off with Gwen but inwardly there was part of him that jumped for joy at the thought.

It took several moments before the other man turned toward Merlin. He looked nervous and there was a slight bit of pink crawling up his neck as well. Merlin wondered at the man's discomfort, perhaps his falling out with Gwen was personal and Merlin shouldn't have made such an inquiry. Arthur cleared his throat several times before finally speaking up, his eyes never truly meeting Merlin's tentative gaze.

"While I was away on this trip with father, I expected to miss Gwen greatly and I did actually, but there was someone else that I missed more than her. My thoughts kept straying to this person and I even had dreams that plagued me at night. It just wouldn't be fair to Gwen to continue a relationship with her when I clearly have strong feelings for another…"

His words tapered off into a nervous murmur and Merlin turned to him with shock written upon his face.

"Another…? You mean to tell me that you're in love with someone else!"

"Yes…" Arthur replied, his gaze again focusing on outside the window.

"I can't believe it…" Merlin said in whisper to himself.

"Who is she?" he demanded rather harshly.

Arthur looked at him rather suspiciously as he rounded himself round and demanded to know why Merlin wanted to know such a thing. Merlin tried hard to hide his newfound feelings, realizing how telling his words had been. He scrambled for the right words to explain…

"Gwen, she's my friend… she deserves to know who's taken her place" he said rather half-heartedly.

Arthur placed a hand upon Merlin's shoulder and let out a tiny chuckle as he spoke.

"She already knows… and if you _weren't_ her good friend, she might've killed you by now"

It took a moment before the Prince's words sank in and they had Merlin spluttering once again, unable to form a coherent thought in light of Arthur's reveal.

"Me…? Are you certain?"

"Yes Merlin… I'm _very_ certain. It took me a couple days of shocked denial before finally coming to accept it but yes, it seems I've grown to love you more than even I'd realized. I only hope that I wasn't wrong in thinking you might return my feelings…"

He looked at Merlin with hope shining in his eyes.

"I hadn't realized I did, at least not till I saw you and Gwen together just now."

Merlin shrugged his shoulders as if what they were discussing were of little importance, as simple as the weather. Arthur had said he cared about him, in fact, loved him.

He stepped forward with no real intent but Arthur too moved closer and soon their lips were meshed together in a kiss so intimate and telling that Merlin became overwhelmed. He let his tongue delve inside Arthur's mouth and he tasted divine. Arthur's lips were softly gentle as they pressed urgently against his mouth. Merlin felt the man's fingers brush against his skin as they danced along his back, near the waist of his trousers. A tingle of arousal swelled from his groin and he found himself pulling away, just a fraction, from Arthur's warming embrace.

"We should take this slow…," he whispered reluctantly into the other man's ear.

Merlin saw the flare of heated desire flash within Arthur's blue eyes as he began pulling himself away.

"You're right," he said with a shy smile, "We have plenty of time to explore this. There's no need to hurry things."

Merlin smiled up at the man in agreement and Arthur's lips brushed against his own once more before they parted completely.

"I'm just glad we both realized before it was too late, so we can explore this and see where it takes us"

Arthur's words spoke to Merlin's heart even more than the kiss had spoken to his body. Deep within, he knew this was right. The dragon had said he and the Prince's destinies were woven together, _this_ just proved it…


End file.
